1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to glass fiber mats which include an improved binder, particularly for application in roofing and flooring products.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Glass fiber mats are composed of glass fibers held together by a binder material. Typical binders used in the industry are urea-formaldehyde resins, phenolic resins, bone glue, polyvinyl alcohols, acrylic resins and polyvinyl acetates. These binder materials are impregnated directly into the fibrous mat and set or cured to provide the desired integrity for the glass fibers.
Unfortunately, the binder materials of the prior art are deficient in one or more respects for glass fiber mats. In particular, such binder materials provide glass fiber mats which exhibit only acceptable tensile strengths at room temperature or at elevated temperatures. Furthermore, the tensile strengths of such mats deteriorate appreciably when the mats are subjected to wet conditions, which can be encountered in their use in roofing and flooring products. In addition, these prior art mats have relatively poor flexibility resulting in buckling, creasing or cracking of the mats during use as a base in asphalt roofing shingles, or as a backing felt or base support for sheet vinyl flooring.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide glass fiber mats which include an improved binder therefor, and, particularly, glass mats having properties which are desirable for use in roofing and flooring products.
A feature of the invention is the provision of glass fiber mats with an improved binder therewith which exhibits, in combination, excellent tensile strengths at both room and elevated temperatures, and also under wet conditions, and which shows a high degree of flexibility in commercial use in the roofing and flooring industries.